Fire Emblem 7: Rekka No Ken: A Novel
by Celtic Guardian 7
Summary: A novelization of Fire Emblem, what else is there to say? Warning: It is advised that you do not read this until beating the game, unless you do not care about spoilers.
1. A Girl From The Plain

Welcome to my second novelization. The first novelization I ever attempted kind of crashed and burned, but this one should turn out better, especially since I'm more familiar with this game than Legend of Dragoon. However, I cannot guarantee constant updates for this. I still have two other fics that I must write on and cannot devote as much time to this as I would like. But I just can't write Yu-Gi-Oh all the time, and needed something else to write on occasionally. This would be the fic that saves me from constant headaches of writing duel after duel after duel.

Anyway, enjoy.

**Prologue: A Girl From The Plain**

Elena slowly came to, hearing something. It wasn't the endless sound of the winds blowing across the grass though, which was what she had expected. Instead, it was the crackling of a fire.

She sat up, gazing around at her surroundings. It seemed to be a small hut. The walls were white, with several brown wooden diamond-like designs that supported the structure. The ceiling was the same color, but the beams came up to form a dome-like roof. Much of the walls were covered by yellow curtains, which parted at a section where shelves were located that had several plates, bowls, jars, and the like that would normally be found in a kitchen. A small table was against the wall, along with three chairs, and a fireplace nearby. There were also several boxes and chests lying around, along with a few other objects, such as a sword sheath leaning against the wall near the door, with a brown belt around it. It was very neat though, even with all the items in it.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Elena turned to see a young woman standing next to her. She wore a sky-blue tunic that went down to her legs, but had two cuts in the sides that went up to her waists, revealing her legs. It had several designs on the collar, and the edges were outlined with an off-white color. Underneath it was a short-sleeved black t-shirt, with a high collar, that matched her fingerless black gloves. Around her waist was a yellow sash, and a brown belt to keep her tunic in place. She had brown boots that almost went up to her knees, but were flexible so that she would not be slowed down by them. They were kept in place by a black ribbon for each one, towards the top. The only pieces of jewelry the woman wore were two small, clear earrings. She kept her long, dark green hair back with a red ponytail holder. Even kept back by that, her hair still went down to her thighs. Her dark green eyes had a certain sparkle to them that Elena had rarely seen. They were the kind of eyes that betrayed any emotions the person bearing them felt.

"I found you unconscious on the plains," the woman explained, picking up a bowl on a shelf by her side and going back over to the fireplace to dish something into it out of a large, black kettle. "I was very worried; you've been out of it for quite some time. How do you feel?"

Elena got out of the bed and considered the question, and figured out how she would answer when she remembered why she had fainted in the first place. "Very hungry."

The woman laughed at that, and set the bowl down on the table. "I figured you might be, so I made enough of this for you as well."

"Thank you." Elena sat down and looked at it. _Stew of some kind?_ She tasted it cautiously, and then set about to eating it swiftly. Even though she still wasn't sure what it was, it was good, and she was starved, so she decided to worry about it later.

The woman blinked a few times as she watched. "How long have you been without food?"

"Long enough to cause me to faint from hunger," Elena answered as she finally took a few minutes to breathe.

"That's why you were unconscious?"

"Yeah. But that helped, thanks," Elena replied, pushing away the empty bowl.

The woman still seemed a bit surprised by how fast she had finished, but took the bowl to put it off to the side. "I'm glad you're feeling better. Well, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Lyn, of the Lorca tribe. How about you?"

"Elena," she responded.

"Elena? What an odd-sounding name… but pay me no mind. It's a good name," Lyn said. "I can see by your attire that you're a traveler. So what brings you to Sacae Plains?"

Lyn's guess had been a logical one. Elena wore a dark red shirt with royal blue pants and black boots. Over that she wore a lime-green cloak, which covered them pretty well. Her short light-brown hair always was unruly, so she usually left it alone. On the other hand, her vivid crystal blue eyes were calm, and seemed to hold a vast amount of intelligence. Her eyes told those who looked upon her that there was more to her than they first saw.

"I had never come here until now," Elena answered. "I was curious, so I decided to visit to see what it was like here…" She trailed off as Lyn suddenly stood up. "Is something wrong?"

"Sorry to interrupt you," Lyn said. "But I thought I heard something. I'm going to check outside; please wait here."

"Sure," Elena nodded.

Lyn stopped by the door, grabbing the sword sheath that was there and tying it to her waist with another, lighter brown belt. Then she went outside.

After a minute or so, Lyn came back in, her face grim. "Bandits!"

"Bandits?" Elena echoed, realizing the cause for concern.

"They must have come down from the Bern Mountains. I'm sure they're planning on raiding the local villages. I have to stop them! I only saw two; if that's all there is, I can handle them on my own. You'll be safe here, so remain here until I return, ok?"

"Actually... I was wondering if I could help you?" Elena offered.

"What? Well, can you use a weapon?" Lyn asked.

Elena shook her head. "No, but I can assist in another way. You see, I'm a tactician. I can tell you where to go, when to attack, and the like."

"Ah, I see… so you're a strategist by trade?" Lyn inferred. "Hm… an odd profession, but nevertheless, it would be helpful. Sure, I'd be glad to have your help. But how will you communicate strategies to me? If you come out and stay by me, I could protect you, but there's always a chance that you'd be hurt in the process."

"I have another way of talking with people on the battlefield," Elena said. "I had a brown pack with me… did you find it by any chance?"

"Yes, I found it with you when I saw you outside." Lyn went over to a box against the wall of the room and took the brown pack off of it, handing it to Elena. "So how will this work?"

"It's a bit complicated to explain, and we don't have time to waste with those bandits going towards the villages," Elena replied, sitting down at the table and opening up her pack. "It will be easier to show you anyway. Trust me; it will work out fine."

"Very well then. Contact me soon," Lyn said as she went out the door.

Elena pulled a device out of her backpack that was about the size of a writing tablet. It was a thick, black glass-like item, but was much more sturdy than glass. Elena herself wasn't sure what material it was made out of, but she knew its functions all too well.

She laid her hands across the device and concentrated. It began to glow a soft white, and then the color gradually changed to green. Soon the whole surface was green, but for a good reason. As it focused, Elena could see that the device was showing her the outside area from a bird's-eye view. The green was the Sacae plains, but now other colors formed, showing Lyn's house, the town, a few patches of trees, and some small bodies of water.

But Elena was more concerned about the other three figures. One was a common bandit. With a brief thought to the device, it closed in on the bandit, showing her more details. There were not many distinguishable features to this axe-wielding fighter. Known as a brigand, he had brown pants and no shirt, which displayed his strength. Nevertheless, he did not look very formidable, so Elena merely made note of the area he was located in before widening her view again. This time, she zoomed in on the other bandit, who was much closer to the village.

This one was much more of a cause for concern. He was very large, probably at least a foot taller than Lyn. He wore a simple outfit of green pants and a brown and green shirt, but had shoulder armor over his right shoulder. His short blonde hair was kept back with a green headband, and his narrow brown eyes showed that he cared about nothing but slaughter. The jagged scar next to his left ear showed that he had been in fights before, and was certainly strong enough to win them.

Troubled by this vision, Elena shifted her view to the third figure, who was heading across the fields to confront the first bandit she had seen.

She turned her complete focus onto Lyn, and thought, _"Lyn!"_

…..

"That first one seems to be easy enough to deal with," Lyn muttered to herself as she approached him cautiously. So far, he had not seen her, and she did not intend to show herself until the last minute.

_"Lyn!"_

Lyn froze in shock. Then she looked around, but saw nobody besides the two bandits.

_"Can you hear me?"_

With that, Lyn realized she hadn't heard the voice out loud. It was more of a thought than anything else.

_Nothing to lose, _Lyn thought with a shrug. "Elena?"

_"Good, it's working. You don't have to talk out loud; direct your thoughts to me. You can talk out loud and I'll still hear you, but the enemies might be alerted if you try."_

_"You have a point," _Lyn agreed. _"So this is how we'll communicate?"_

_"That's right. I have a device that shows me the whole area you are in. It also allows me to make telepathic connections with anyone that I am supporting."_

_"That's pretty useful. So what is this device that you are using?"_

_"It's called a Dimicatio Prospectus. Since I'm able to see what I need to through it, I can direct units to go where it would be most useful, look up enemies, and the like. But I can't see everything with this, so even if I say an area looks alright, be on guard. In this case, I don't think you have much cause to worry about ambushes though."_

_"So how does it look?"_

_"The bandit ahead of you shouldn't be a problem. He's strong, but slow. The other bandit though… he's much more dangerous. Be careful."_

_"Thanks. I will." _Then Lyn went closer to the brigand.

But as she approached, the brigand saw her. With a bellow, he suddenly rushed at her, his axe high in the air for a blow.

Seeing that he had found her, Lyn quickly drew her katana and ran towards him.  
Elena had told the truth when she had said the Brigand was slow. He swung his axe at Lyn, but she saw it coming miles away and dodged easily, slicing into him with her katana across his left arm. Before he could react, she ducked, trying to cut him on the chest. But instead, she hit him on his right leg.

Roaring in rage, the brigand suddenly brought down his axe. In his anger, the axe blow came much more quickly than Lyn had suspected. Knowing it would be useless to parry, she leapt back. Still, the axe gashed her across her left shoulder. Ignoring the searing pain, Lyn did not give the brigand another chance at hitting her. With a quick dash and a sudden stab, the brigand collapsed, his heart pierced.

_"Lyn!__ Are you alright?"_

_"Yes. It's not that bad, and I have some vulneraries with me anyway."_ Lyn took out a small bottle full of light brown liquid, and drank it. Instantly, the skin over her shoulder began to heal. Although the pain lingered, the wound itself was gone.

_"Do you think you can still deal with that bandit by the village?"_

_"I have to try." _Lyn began to run towards the village. _"If I'm fast, I can get to him before he reaches the gers."_

_"Gers?"_

_"Oh, that's right. You probably wouldn't know what they are. Gers are what we call these round huts. Nomads usually live in gers."_

_"I see. Well, be careful. Like I said, that bandit looks a lot more dangerous."_

_"I let my guard down on that other one. I'll be more cautious this time."_

There was no need for them to have worried about the bandit attacking the village though. When he caught sight of Lyn, he stopped, and began to approach her instead.

They halted in front of each other, sizing up one another.

The bandit gave a small snicker. "Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"

Lyn did not waste her breath by responding. Instead, she dove forward, katana flashing. Batta was unable to block the first two blows, which cut into his shoulder and arm. However, Lyn's katana struck his shoulder armor, and slid off harmlessly. That was when Batta struck. His axe cut Lyn across the chest, leaving a very deep gash. Lyn staggered backwards, and barely managed to leap out of the way of another cleaving blow.

_"You were right… he's very tough. It all comes down to this next blow. Elena, if I fall, please promise me that you'll flee. He'll probably come to my ger eventually, and discover you. But you must escape!"_

_"I won't need to," _Elena replied firmly. _"You can beat him. I'm sure of it."_

_"Thanks for the confidence." _Lyn would have went on, but Batta was not waiting around. He lunged at her again.

With nothing to lose, Lyn took a desperate gamble in an evasive maneuver by swiftly rolling between his legs, coming up from behind him. Then she drove her katana into his back.

"What? How… how did you…" But that was all Batta was able to say before he collapsed, dead.

Lyn pulled out her katana shakily. _"Whew… that was close. Even though I was on my guard, I still sorely underestimated him. Sorry if I worried you, Elena."_

_"Will you be ok?"_

_"Yes. I have some more vuleraries at home, so I can afford to use one that I have with me now." _She drank another to heal her chest wound. _"Still, I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive… strong enough that nobody can beat me."_

Elena didn't know how to respond to that.

_"I'll be there in a few minutes. See you shortly."_

_"Right."_Elena put her hands on the Dimicatio Prospectus again, and let the energy flow back into her. But even though it had returned to her, she felt exhausted.

She went over to the bed she had been sleeping in, and lay down in it.

_I guess I can just… rest for a few minutes… while waiting for Lyn…_ was all she managed to think before falling asleep.

…..

Elena slowly opened her eyes, and then sat up suddenly. "Lyn?"

Lyn was sitting at the table, and was closing a light brown bag of her own. She looked up and smiled. "Hi Elena. That battle must have taken a lot out of you."

"I'm sorry!" Elena apologized. "I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"Don't worry about it. You deserved the rest." Lyn seemed preoccupied about something else. "Elena, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You seem to have some experience in the ways of war. Would you allow me to travel with you?"

"Huh? Travel with me?" Elena said, surprised. "But what about your parents? Shouldn't you get permission from them?"

Elena instantly realized that she had asked a bad question as Lyn's eyes clouded over. "My mother and father… died six months ago. My people-the Lorca-they don't… I'm the last of their tribe in this area. Bandits attacked, and… they killed almost everyone. Our tribe was scattered. My father had been the chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people, as he had. But I am so young, and my people are old-fashioned… they wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me…" By this time, her held-back tears were escaping her eyes.

"Lyn…" Elena had no idea how to comfort her with words, so she placed her hand over Lyn's.

Lyn closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long… But no more. I will shed no more tears. Thank you. I'm better now."

She looked up once more. Her eyes still shone but she seemed to be in control again. Elena, I want… no, I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death! Today's battle taught me that I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Elena, please train me, and let me travel with you!"

Elena thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well then. If you wish to join me, I'd be glad to have you by my side."

"Really? Thank you! Oh, thank you!" Lyn said gratefully. "I know we'll make a good team. You'll be my master strategist and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it! Right?"

"Of course!" Elena grinned. "So when will we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, right after we eat."

"Sounds good."

"Don't worry, I've already packed everything I need," Lyn said, indicating to her bag. "So how about we get some more sleep? Morning is only a few hours away."

"Alright."

With that, both of them were soon asleep, for the last peaceful sleep they would have for quite some time.

To be continued…


	2. Footsteps of Fate

I knew I said I might take a while to update, but I did not intend for it to be this long! I am very sorry for the wait, and hopefully it will not take this long again. Also, this chapter is quite a bit longer than I had planned! So if you're one who hates long reads, I apologize. I personally like long chapters, but some people don't…

Six reviews! For me, that is a lot! Thank you all for reviewing!

Epy: Thank you. And don't worry, I will update, hopefully more often than I am now.

John: Thanks.

Axel-Wildfire000: Thank you. And yay for Sain indeed. He made this a fun chapter to write.

Blurp: You made a good point, and I agree completely. I have tried to lessen the description lengths I did this time and hopefully it will make a difference. I am glad you overall enjoy it, and if you see anything else to criticize, please, by all means, point out my flaws!

Destiny'sPromise: Thank you.

Kenshkrix: Thanks for your input on this. Dimicatio Prospectus is actually Latin for Battle View. The original name for the board was Field Viewer but I found that to be too dull. So I just changed the words around a bit, translated it to Latin, and viola, you get a cool name!

**Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate**

"Elena? Are you awake?"

Elena opened her eyes, and glanced up at Lyn. "Now I am. What is going on?"

"Nothing, except that breakfast is ready. After that, we will leave, as we agreed to last night."

"Ah, that's right. I'm fine with that," Elena said, getting out of bed.

After quickly eating, and grabbing their bags (and weapon in Lyn's case), Lyn and Elena set off. Since Elena was not very familiar with the Plains yet, Lyn led the way.

"Where are we headed to?" Elena asked.

"We are going to Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae. We need to purchase some more supplies before we begin our journey, and Bulgar is definitely the best place to go for that," Lyn explained.

"Ok," Elena replied.

They walked in silence for the rest of the trip to Bulgar, just enjoying the beautiful, clear day. Lyn seemed very joyful and lively today, probably due to the fact that she was finally able to begin this journey. Elena could understand why perfectly; this was finally her chance to become strong enough to have vengeance for her tribe, and she was eager to begin. Luckily for Elena, she was used to traveling at fast paces, so her pace was even with Lyn's. Going with swift strides, they made good time.

It was around noon when they reached Bulgar. Elena could instantly see that Lyn had not been exaggerating when she had said Bulgar was the biggest city in Sacae. It was huge; she could tell that much just by looking at the large stone wall surrounding it. Even though they hadn't entered yet, she could already see the numerous amounts of buildings inside.

"Do you know where to go?" Elena inquired, still a bit in awe.

"Yes. I've been here a few times, so I know roughly which stores to visit," Lyn said as they entered and walked down the crowded street. People were all over the place, going to a variety of stores to purchase whatever was needed. It was somewhat difficult in a few locations to get through the throngs of people, but they managed to make it to the necessary store. Lyn was sure to pick up some food supplies that could last awhile, in case they were to go without finding any more provisions for a while. Otherwise, they were basically set to go, so they left the store and went back towards the entrance of town.

"Now that we are ready to begin traveling…" Lyn began, but she was suddenly cut off by a shout.

"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"

"Hm?" Lyn turned, as did Elena, to see who had spoken.

A knight was riding up to them on a fine brown horse, which also had a brown mane and tail. It was clad rather simply, with merely a bridle and a saddle, which had an iron lance strapped to the side of it. Of course, they were paying more attention to the man riding the horse than the animal itself. He looked to be a young adult, and wore a dark green shirt and khaki pants. He also had emerald green armor covering his chest, shoulders, arms, hips, and shins. His short, light brown hair was kept back with a black headband, while his matching brown eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"Wait, O beauteous one!" he called as he rode up, halting his horse in front of them while speaking to Lyn. "Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

Lyn looked at him skeptically. "Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?"

"Ha! I thought you would never ask!" the man exclaimed. "I am from Lycia. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion of fire!"

"Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Lyn said sarcastically.

"Oooh… you're even lovely when you're cruel," the man replied with a grin.

Lyn shook her head in disgust. "Let's go, Elena. I have nothing more to say."

"Um… alright…" Elena said, looking from the man to her in confusion before following Lyn as she started to walk around the man's horse.

"Wait! Please!" the man protested.

"Sain! Hold your tongue!"

Another man came riding up, stopping next to the first one. His horse was identical to the other one, from the equipment it wore to the lance on its side. His outfit was very similar to his companion's as well. The only difference was the colors. His shirt was a light red, and his pants were dark brown. His armor was a deep red, and outlined with gold. At his side was a black sword sheath. His red hair was neater than his companion's, and his light red eyes were narrowed.

"Ah, Kent! My boon companion!" Sain said cheerfully. "Why so severe an expression?"

"If your manner were more serious, I wouldn't have to be so severe!" Kent told him, glaring. "We still have a mission to complete, Sain!"

"I know that," Sain assured. "But how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous!"

"What do you know of courtesy!" Kent exclaimed.

Lyn had just about had enough with the whole matter. "Excuse me! You're blocking the road. If you would be so kind as to move your horses…"

"Oh, of course. My apologies…" Kent said, tapping his horse's side lightly. It obligingly moved to the side of the road that Sain was on.

"Thank you. You, at least, seem honorable enough," Lyn stated, looking up at him.

As Kent got his first good look at Lyn, he seemed somewhat startled. "Hm? Pardon me, but… I feel we've met before."

"What?" Lyn said.

"Hey! No fair, Kent!" Sain protested. "I saw her first!"

Before Kent could reply to that, Lyn finally lost her temper. "It seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights after all! Elena, we are leaving! I have run out of patience!"

"Ok…" Elena was still a bit confused, but she followed Lyn as she ran down the street.

"Wait, please!" Kent called. "It's not like that!"

However, they were already gone. Kent looked in the direction they had run, and then turned to Sain. He strained to keep his tone even as he spoke. "Sain, you lout!"

"Huh? Not like that? But I thought you were…" Sain said, puzzled.

"I am not you!" Kent growled. Then he realized what he had seen. "…Come, we must follow her! I suspect she might be…"

"Be what?" Then Sain understood. "Wait, she's the one we were looking for? You're joking!"

"You know more than anyone that I am not one for jokes!" Kent stated before urging his horse into a gallop.

"Well, that is true… Hey, wait for me!" Sain cried, kicking his own horse into a run.

…

Lyn was still seething as they exited the town. "The nerve of them! To go and say such things…" She forced herself to take a deep breath. "I am sorry I exploded, Elena. I just could not stand their attitude."

"It is fine. I don't blame you for acting as you did," Elena assured. "The second one-Kent was his name, I think-didn't seem to want to insult you though."

"Hm… maybe not, but I am not about to go back and ask them," Lyn stated.

"I did not think you would," Elena laughed. "Anyway, where do you wish to head next?"

"Well…" Lyn suddenly fell silent, looking back.

"What is wrong?" Elena asked, following her gaze. Then she saw what Lyn had heard. A man was running towards them.

"We're being pursued!" Lyn exclaimed. "I thought it might be those knights, but apparently not… whoever he is, he's out for blood!"

"What should we do?" Elena asked, reaching towards her pack.

"We'll let him get closer before deciding," Lyn said, putting her hand on her katana.

They could at once tell he was a bandit when he got closer. With a tattered brown, sleeveless shirt on, his hardened muscles were exposed, showing how he could easily carry his huge axe. His light brown pants were also frayed. Along with his filthy grey hair and the long scar near his left eye, he was just as intimidating as Batta had been.

He stopped in front of them with a lop-sided grin. "Heh heh heh… aren't you a pretty one? Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"

Lyn couldn't help but gasp. "What did you call me?" Then she regained her composure. "Who are you?"

The bandit shook his head in mock shame. "Such a waste… an absolute the waste. The things I, Zugu, will do for gold… ah well. Time to die, darlin'!"

At those words, four more bandits came out from the groves of trees nearby. They were still at a fair distance, but Lyn tensed instantly.

"Oh, no! There are more than I can handle…" Lyn stated, drawing her katana. "But I will not give up! Elena, get behind me!"

"We can't hope to win alone!" Elena protested, stepping behind Lyn. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Hey! There she is!"

"Huh?" Lyn said as she, Elena, and Zugu turned to see who had shouted.

It turned out to be Sain and Kent, racing towards them on their horses. They halted next to Lyn and Elena.

"What?" was all Lyn could say as the looked up at the two of them.

"Whew… finally caught up…" Sain panted. Then he straightened, looking at the bandit. "Hold! You there! What is your business? Such numbers against a girl? Cowards, every one of you!"

Zugu, seeing he was at the disadvantage now, stepped back with a snarl. "Just try and get by us all. We still outnumber you!" Then he fled, leaving the four others to talk.

"You! You two were from…" Lyn trailed off as Kent held up a hand.

"We can discuss that later," Kent stated. "It appears these ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, let them look to me! Stand back; I'll take care of this!"

"No!" Lyn said. "This is my fight! Stay out of my way!"

"Well, we can't just stand here and do nothing…" Sain pointed out.

Kent looked over to Elena. "I can see that your companion is a fighter, but what about you?"

"I'm a tactician," Elena said. "My name is Elena. It's nice to meet both of you."

"Ah, another lovely maiden! We're quite lucky to happen to be passing by here, eh Kent?" Sain grinned. "We would not have come across these two beauties if I had not suggested we stop in this town to buy supplies!"

"I am the one who suggested that," Kent said in exasperation. "And you were completely against stopping there only to buy supplies… enough on that though. I have a solution to our dispute. Elena, command us. I am Kent, a knight of Lycia. My companion is Sain. We will follow your orders in battle. Is this acceptable, milady?" he directed to Lyn.

"Yes, it is," Lyn nodded. "Elena will direct the battle, and I will lead. Let's go!"

"I will remain in this grove of trees," Elena said, indicating to it. "I do not think any bandits will come back here if their goal is to kill Lyn, and they won't be very interested in me if you three are their main threat."

"How will you lead the battle if you are not even with us though?" Sain asked, confused.

"Like this." Elena got out her Dimicatio Prospectus and placed her hands over it. The black was soon green as it showed her the view of the plains around the area.

_"Using this device, I can see everything that is going on, and can communicate with you," _she explained.

"Huh? What was that?" Sain asked, startled.

"You were not talking out loud…" Kent noticed.

_"This is how I can talk to all of you, through thoughts. Concentrate a thought to reply with me to if you are in a situation where you should not speak out loud to give away your position. I can hear what you say out loud though."_

"Understood. If that is the case, then we shall set off and follow your instructions from there," Kent said, drawing his sword and tapping his horse's flanks. It began to trot away, Sain and Lyn following.

Elena looked over the field. Many areas were just normal, grassy spots. However, there were also many patches of trees. A river flowed through the field as well, with two narrow bridges to cross over it.

She focused on the enemies she could see. The leader, Zugu, was located nearby the river, right in front of the mountains on the outskirts of her vision of the field. A brigand stood next to him, but seemed impatient. Elena could see he would probably eventually try to rush out to attack, which was good; the last thing they needed was for Zugu to team up with one of his allies. He certainly didn't seem as though he wanted to go anywhere at the moment.

Another brigand stood nearby the lower bridge, and yet another was nearby the woods that were a decent distance from her three companions. But the last brigand was very close, standing nearby the forest that they were traveling cautiously through.

_"You will confront your first enemy as you leave the forest," _Elena warned. _"I doubt he will give you much trouble, but be careful in case he rushes."_

_"Not a problem! Let me attack first! I want to impress my beauteous one!" _Sain transferred back to her shortly, after he had figured out how to concentrate his thoughts to send.

Elena considered his proposition. She could see that Sain and Kent were cavaliers, which were famous for being able to go for long distances very quickly, thanks to their horses. But they had another unique feature; they were trained to be able to fight well with both lances and swords. Elena was aware that the brigands all carried axes, and it would not be a good idea to fight those with lances. They were too light and long; an axe could easily cleave through one. Swords, on the other hand, were strong enough to parry axe blows if necessary, while short and quick enough to evade attacks while slicing apart the victim. Lyn, a quick and nimble swordswoman that could even be considered a myrmidon, would have no trouble fighting the big, clumsy brigands. While Sain and Kent would be a bit more vulnerable to being struck, due to being on horseback while fighting, they would be able to attack fast enough thanks to their swords.

_"All right then. Sain, you will lead the attack,"_ Elena told him.

_"My thanks!"_Sain said as they left the cover of the trees.

The brigand saw them, and instantly charged at Sain, who was at the head of the group. Sain pulled out his lance at once.

Elena saw his mistake instantly. _"Sain, wait!"_

But she was too late. Sain charged at the bandit, stabbing with his lance. The bandit easily parried the strike, sending the lance flying out of Sain's hands. Sain was too slow to react before his foe slammed his axe into Sain's chest. His armor was what saved him from suffering a fatal wound; instead, Sain flew off his horse, hitting the ground on his back.

The brigand stepped forward to finish the job, but Kent charged forward, slicing the bandit in the back with his sword. Enraged by the wound, the enemy turned to Kent to attack him instead. Lyn took the opportunity to speed forward and slice into him. Two quick slashes, one to the side and one to his chest, were all it took to kill the bandit.

_"Sain!__ Are you all right?"_ Elena asked, concerned.

Sain got up awkwardly. "Of course! But how did I miss?"

"Sain! Why aren't you using your sword?" Kent demanded.

"The lance is more heroic. A knight should look heroic, don't you think?" Sain said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kent shook his head, his eyes closed. "You're hopeless. If you cannot take fighting more seriously, you are going to find yourself on the end of a blade!"

Sain looked rather sheepish at this point. "Truth be told, I… er… forgot to buy a sword."

"Forgot? Or were you simply too busy dallying with the ladies?" Kent asked scornfully.

"Don't be mad!" Sain protested. "I'll be fine with the lance. I'm just that good!"

"I'd prefer to rely on your skill, and not your empty bragging!" Kent snapped, reaching into the bag on the other side of his horse and pulling out another sword in a sheath. "You are lucky I bought a spare sword in case mine broke. Take it for now, and use it to attack next time!"

"Are you sure? My thanks, Kent!" Sain said, taking the sword and belting it on before he mounted his horse and galloped off.

Kent sighed, before speaking to himself. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth. Almost." Then he followed his companion.

Elena quickly scanned the field to see where the enemies were moving. _"Keep going to your right. You will encounter another area of woodlands. A bandit is entering that location now," _she told Sain and Kent. _"Lyn, you go to the left. A bandit that was nearby Zugu is coming from the bridge. You should run into him shortly. Try to use the patch of trees there to your advantage by waiting for him in there."_

_"That sounds good," _Lyn replied, heading for the location Elena spoke of.

_"We hear you!" _Sain said as he and Kent went towards the forest area that the brigand had entered.

_"We will arrive in the designated location shortly," _Kent told Elena. Sure enough, they were soon in front of the trees.

_"Elena! Let me attack again!"_ Sain requested.

_"Ok. But use your sword this time!"_ Elena said.

_"I know!"_ Sain drew his blade and urged his horse closer.

Before they even entered the trees, they saw the brigand. Seeing his target, Sain charged forward, bringing his sword into the air and thrusting it down. Unfortunately for him, a large tree limb was above him, and he struck it as he brought his sword down. His blade cut into the wood, and then became stuck from being too deeply imbedded.

The brigand took this chance to run forward and swing his axe at Sain. Luckily, Sain's horse was more on guard than Sain was. His horse leapt backwards with a terrified whinny, causing the axe to miss. Without giving Sain a chance to retrieve his sword, the horse took off. Sain managed to get it under control quickly though, and turned it around so he could go next to Kent.

"Were you hit?" Kent asked, concerned.

"No, I am fine. I can't believe he evaded my sword stroke so easily though. This is no jest!" Sain complained.

"Did you not see that you were entering the woods for that attack? Whenever you do, the branches make it difficult to attack, remember?" Kent said.

"Oh yeah… you're right. I was so focused on attacking that I didn't think about that," Sain admitted.

"Your lack of attention may someday cost you your life!" Kent told him.

"Fine! I understand already! Let it go, Kent!" Sain said, knowing that if he did not stop his lecture quickly, then Kent could go on for hours.

"If you truly understand, then act like it!" Kent said before galloping towards the bandit, his sword drawn.

"Kent worries too much," Sain commented to the thin air. "He's going to grow old before his time."

_"He has a right to worry, you know," _Elena responded.

_"Gah!__ I forgot that you can hear me!" _Sain said, embarrassed.

_"You'll get used to it soon enough. Now get back to where __Kent__ is so that you can retrieve your sword when he finishes the bandit off!"_

_"Ok, I've got it," _Sain replied before going over to the woods again.

Kent seemed to be handling himself rather well. Taking care for the obstacles in the woods, he was easily dodging the brigand's heavy strikes and slicing into him several times. Finally, Kent saw an opening and stabbed the brigand through the chest, killing him instantly.

"Too bad," Sain sighed as he pulled his sword out of the tree limb. "I was hoping to have that one."

"You will get another chance, which you hopefully will not mess up on," Kent said pointedly.

"Of course not! Third time is the charm, right?" Sain said as he trotted out of the woods.

Kent shook his head again before speaking. "Elena, where should we go next?"

_"Head up to where Lyn is, in case she needs assistance. The bandit defending the bridge does not seem like he will be moving any time soon."_

"All right then," Kent answered. "We will travel to her location at once."

…

Lyn, meanwhile, was waiting in the woods as the brigand came closer to her. Her hands tightened around her katana as she watched him approach, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

Soon the bandit saw her, and ran into the woods, swinging at her. He had apparently not even considered the terrain though; Lyn was able to dodge his attack with no trouble, and swiftly struck back. A few quick slashes later and the brigand lay dead at her feet.

Sain and Kent arrived to see Lyn wiping her sword across the grass. She looked up as they approached. "Is something wrong?"

"Elena told us to come over to where you were, milady," Kent explained. "It seems you had the situation covered though."

"Yes, I am fine, thank you." She looked over at Sain. "Why have you not healed yourself?"

Sain looked down at his chest, where the blow to his armor had damaged him. "Huh? Hey! I've been injured? What a cad I am! To wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me…"

"Uh… I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but… it looks like you are fine. So, never you mind," Lyn stated, turning away.

"No, wait! I'll take it! Please, I'll take it!" Sain begged.

"Very well," Lyn sighed, handing over a bottle of the brown liquid.

Sain drank it swiftly, and felt his chest heal. "Ah, much better! You have my gratitude, my angel!"

Lyn did not respond, simply walking out of the trees while rolling her eyes.

Elena hesitated for a moment, and then issued her next commands. _"Sain, Kent, head to the bridge farther down the river.__ You need to deal with that brigand. Lyn, go up to Zugu. If he proves to be too strong to handle alone, fall back."_

_"Do not worry. If I could handle Batta, I am sure I can defeat this Zugu," _Lyn answered.

_"As you command," _Kent replied, turning his horse to the lower bridge and racing to it, Sain beside him.

Lyn soon caught sight of Zugu, and closed in on him. He turned to face her with a scowl.

"Accursed knights… they're always tampering in other's affairs!" he growled, raising his axe.

Like Batta, Lyn did not want to waste her breath talking. She swiftly ran towards him, twisting away from his axe and cutting his side.

…

As Sain and Kent approached the brigand at the bridge, he ran over it, to their side.

_"That was a bad move on his part," _Elena commented. _"Now he's exposed on both his sides. Sain, assault him, and Kent, follow up on his rear!"_

Sain obliged, striking at the bandit with his sword from the front. Furious at the gash, the bandit swung his axe at Sain. Sain hurriedly pulled his horse back, dodging the strike as Kent came up from behind the bandit and stabbed him through the back. The bandit collapsed without a sound.

"What now?" Sain asked.

_"Go to where Lyn is, and quickly!"_

"At once," Kent assured, bolting across the bridge. Sain sheathed his sword quickly before following.

…

Lyn had scored several shallow slashes on Zugu, but he had remarkable endurance. He did not seem to even notice his injuries as he chopped wildly at Lyn, who was beginning to tire.

Suddenly, the axe came down from an upward swing. She swiftly blocked it with her katana, trying to keep the axe blade back. She was much less strong then the bandit though, and she began to falter.

Kent had been leading the gallop to find her. He stopped abruptly a short distance away from them, seeing the situation. He was afraid that if he tried to attack now, Lyn might lose her concentration, which would get her instantly killed.

Sain, on the other hand, was still charging ahead and had not anticipated Kent's sudden stop. The first thing Sain saw was the fight. Seeing Lyn was not in a good position, he instinctively grabbed the closest weapon to his hand-his lance. But even as he held it up, his horse tried to halt. It was too late though. It crashed into Kent's horse, which sent Kent to the ground and Sain flying over both the animals and his companion, straight towards Zugu. Without thinking, he pointed his lance at Zugu's back.

Lyn was mainly concentrating on keeping the axe away from herself, but she saw Sain come flying at Zugu's back out of the corner of her eye. She desperately jumped out of the way, and just in time, for Sain's lance plunged straight through Zugu.

Zugu looked down at the lance coming out of his chest with dimmed eyes. "Blast… there was only… supposed to be a lone… girl…" Then he fell, and did not rise.

Sain got up shakily, looking down at Zugu's corpse. "See, I told you Kent! I told you I was good enough with the lance!"

"I am thrilled to see that," Kent said dryly as he rose, and looked over at the horses, who seemed shaken by the sudden collision but none worse for the wear.

After cleaning off the remaining blood off her katana, Lyn sheathed it. "That's the last of them! Fantastic work, Elena!"

_"Thank you. I will be there in a few minutes." _Elena absorbed the energy from her Dimicatio Prospectus before putting it back into her pack and running out of the grove she had sat in.

She soon arrived at the area across the river, where Sain and Kent were taking care of their own weapons while Lyn waited.

"I am sorry for the delay," Elena apologized, crossing the lower bridge.

"It isn't a problem," Lyn assured. She looked over at the duo that had taken their horse's reins and were coming over. "Now for these knights of Lycia…" She raised her voice so they could hear her. "You were going to share your story with me?"

"Yes," Kent replied. "We have ventured from Caelin, in Lycia, in search of someone."

"Lycia… that is the country beyond the mountains in the southwest, isn't it?" Lyn asked.

"Correct," Kent confirmed. "We've come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some nineteen years ago."

Lyn stared at him. "Madelyn?"

"Our lord the marquess of Caelin's only daughter," Kent explained. "He was heartbroken his own daughter would abandon him so. Eventually… the marquess simply declared that he had no daughter."

"And then this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn," Sain continued. "It said that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae Plains. The marquess was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter of eighteen years." Sain grinned at the memory. "I remember the smile on his face when he announced that he had suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis. This was also the name of the marquess's wife, who passed away at an early age."

Lyn was slightly pale now. "Lyndis?"

"That she should bear this name thawed the marquess's heart," Sain said. "Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we are here." He looked away. "We did not know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after sending her letter… we only learned that shortly after we arrived in Bulgar." He then met her eyes again, with a smile. "But we also learned all was not lost, as her daughter yet lives. We heard that she was living alone on the plains."

"I… I knew it immediately," Kent said, gazing at her. "You are the Lady Lyndis."

"Why would you think that…?" Lyn asked.

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable," Kent replied.

Lyn's eyes widened. "What? Did you know my mother?"

Kent shook his head regretfully. "I am sorry to say I never met her directly, but I saw her portraits in Castle Caelin."

Lyn thought over what they had told her, and closed her eyes before speaking quietly. "To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn. But when I was with my parents… when it was just the three of us… I was Lyndis. It's all so strange… I was all alone in the world, and now I suddenly have a grandfather. Lyndis… I never thought I would hear that name again."

The other three watched her silently, unsure of what to say.

Lyn suddenly opened her eyes again, remembering something. "Wait… that bandit! He called my Lyndis too!"

"What? How could he have…"

Sain cut off Kent's question. "I bet he was a henchman of Lord Lundgren!"

"Lundgren? Who is that?" Lyn inquired.

"He is the marquess's younger brother," Kent told her. "Everyone assumed the Lady Madelyn was gone forever, which made Lord Ludgren heir to the marquess's title."

"To be blunt, milady, your existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions," Sain said.

"What? But I have no interest in inheriting any title!" Lyn protested.

Sain sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, your granduncle is not the sort of man to believe that. It is likely that the attempts on your life will persist."

"What should I do?" Lyn asked, looking bewildered by it all.

"I suggest that you accompany us to Caelin," Kent said. "Continuing on this way is dangerous."

Lyn considered his idea, and then nodded. "I feel as though I have little choice. I will go with you." Then she turned to Elena. "Elena… I am sorry. This changes everything. What will you do?"

"What will I do?" Elena blinked. "I have nothing specific in mind. How about you decide?"

Lyn seemed surprised by her reaction. "You want me to decide? I would love to have you remain with me, as your companionship would do much to ease my journey. But… it's going to be so dangerous…"

"I have been in danger before, and I have continued on. I will stay with you," Elena said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Lyn asked.

"Yes. After hearing all this, I want to help you more than ever," Elena told her. "We have not known each other for long, but I already feel as though you are one of the best friends I have ever had. If there is any way I can assist you, I want to."

"Thank you!" Lyn said happily. "Then let me ask once again for your friendship and your aid!"

"I will gladly give it!" Elena replied.

"So now that that is settled, shall we set off?" Sain suggested.

"Yes. Let us go. We will lead the way," Kent told Lyn and Elena as they left the field they had fought on.

To be continued…


	3. Sword of Spirits

Wow, that did go by more quickly. Only thing I have to say about this chapter is a bit of it varies from actual events. Does this affect the story line severely? No. I just thought this would be a bit better than following the game script word for word.

Epy: I thought Sain deserved that kill. Thank you.

John: Sain prefers to use his words to try and enchant women. Only problem is that it doesn't work very often…

Marco: Thanks for your opinion. I am trying to keep down character descriptions to a reasonable length, but they will be detailed enough to describe the characters to people who have never played. Or so I hope. Level descriptions are more necessary, since they are more forgettable for people who have played, and harder to envision for those who haven't. Also, sorry, but Florina and Wil are next chapter. Don't worry too much about that though, I always forget this chapter myself!

**Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits**

As they followed Sain and Kent into the outskirts of Bulgar, Lyn recalled something. "Please, hold for a moment. If you would not mind, I would like to be allowed to take a short detour."

"To where?" Elena asked.

"There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here," Lyn explained. "The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the onset of a long journey. I wish to do the same."

"Oh! How quaint!" Sain commented.

"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe," Kent said. "It is nice to see that here, at least, the ancient customs are still observed."

"So you are all fine with my request?" Lyn inquired.

"If that is what you wish to do, milady, then I have no problem with it," Kent stated.

"It should not take long at all if it's on our way, right?" Sain pointed out. "So why not?"

"I am interested in this sword too," Elena said. "Let us stop by."

"Thank you," Lyn replied as they headed towards the temple.

…

The mercenary kept his sword pointed at the priest that stood before him. It was not an idle gesture; this mercenary was more than ready to kill the man in front of him.

The mercenary wore a brown sleeveless shirt that exposed part of his chest and his arms. His brown pants matched his shirt, but his short, brown hair was a bit lighter. His eyes, on the other hand, were a much more dark, fierce brown as he glared at the priest in front of him. "Old man! Stay where you are, and remain silent!"

The priest, on the other hand, looked as though he was no threat whatsoever. With a blue-hooded cloak, grey long-sleeved shirt, and matching pants, he was dressed rather simply, yet well enough to fit in with the atmosphere of the temple. His grey hair and large grey mustache, along with his aging face, showed him to normally be a wise, kind old man. Perhaps that was why he was able to stay so calm and defiant in this situation.

"Threaten me as you will, but I will not surrender the Mani Katti! The Mani Katti is a sacred blade, under divine protection. It cannot be removed from its place of rest!" he stated.

The mercenary snorted. "You're a fool, old man. What good is a sword, if you cannot use it?"

"Use it? In combat? That is sacrilege!" the priest protested.

"Sacrilege?" The mercenary laughed at that. "I am Glass! Why worry about sacrilege when the gods fear my name? My swordplay is peerless! And if I want this sword, then this sword I shall have! Get out of my way!"

He sheathed his sword and shoved the priest aside, apparently not worried enough about him to kill him. The priest fell to the floor, but forced himself to rise as Glass stepped up to the altar.

Glass lifted the sword sheath, with the sword still inside it. Even though he could not see the sword, merely holding it in its black sheath and feeling its fine, firm, black handle told him what a blade it was. "This is it! It's more magnificent than I had imagined! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill!" Then he tried to pull it out of its sheath.

However, it did not come out. Glass stared at it, and then tried again. Still the blade did not budge. "What is this? I can't… draw the sword… from its scabbard?"

The priest shook his head. "The spirits of the blade have judged you. You have been found wanting, so they rejected you."

Glass turned to him, shaking in rage. "What? Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your own life, you'll get out of my sight!" Then he lunged at the priest, his own sword drawn again.

The priest realized that there was nothing he could do, and fled through a door in the corner. A click told Glass that the priest had locked himself in.

Glass threw the Mani Katti onto the alter with a curse. "Miserable spirits! I care nothing for you! I'll make you respect me; if I have to, I'll do it by tearing this alter down stone by stone!" He went to the front of the temple, where five brigands stood. "You, go to the side of the temple, and make sure nobody approaches! You come inside with me, and the rest of you are to stand outside. Kill anybody who comes near!"

None of them noticed a woman quietly sneak away.

…

Lyn, Elena, Kent, and Sain could soon see the temple. They were all amazed by how large the stone, grey building was. Even at a distance, they could tell that it was huge.

"It's incredible!" Lyn said, awed.

"And it's close by!" Sain commented. "We should be there soon!"

"Wait…" Kent narrowed his eyes. "I believe somebody is approaching us."

It turned out to be a female villager, clad in a light red dress with a brown cloak over her shoulders. Contrary to her neat, brown hair kept back in a bun, her brown eyes were filled with worry.

She came up to them, and hesitated for a moment before speaking to Lyn. "I beg your pardon, milady. Are you headed east, towards the temple?"

"Yes, we are indeed," Lyn answered.

"Then please, you must hurry and help the priest there," the villager begged. "I saw a band of ruffians head in there not long ago, and they were intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!

"What? They want to steal the Mani Katti?" Lyn exclaimed. "I cannot allow that to happen! Do not worry, we will stop them!"

"Thank you," the villager said with a sigh of relief. "I know you will be able to save him, and the sword."

"Hold on for a moment," Kent said. "We cannot just rush in there. We must prepare ourselves for what we will be facing."

Elena looked over at the villager. "Perhaps I could ask a favor?"

"If I can assist any of you in any manner, tell me how," the woman said.

"If your house is nearby, please let me stay there for a while," Elena requested. "I am a tactician, and I will be able to assist my companions from there. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, of course. I live in that house, right there," the woman replied, gesturing to one of the houses amongst a group of three.

"I will contact you shortly," Elena assured her friends. "Please wait for me to look at the terrain before you go any closer." She paused, and then added, "Sain, Kent, do you think you could run over to the two other homes? Perhaps the local residents would have some ideas that would assist us."

"We're on it," Sain assured, before galloping over to one of the homes.

"We will relay to you what we have learned when you contact us," Kent told Elena before he followed.

"Lyn, you need to remain here and make sure the enemies do not come this way," Elena said. "Wait for Sain and Kent to return before trying anything."

"Very well," Lyn replied.

Elena then left with the villager, and soon arrived at her home. Elena quickly got out the Dimicatio Prospectus and concentrated on it. It soon began to glow as it showed the landscape. The woman watched in amazement as Elena bent over the board, surveying the battle field.

Around the homes and the side of the temple, it was mainly flat plains. There were a few patches of trees in occasional locations though, and Elena noticed two fortresses nearby the temple. Although they seemed to be abandoned, fortresses offered good defense when units could use their landscape to their advantage, so Elena made a mental note of that. There was also a long, stone fence of some kind that separated the homes from the temple. This left only a narrow path to the front of the temple. However, the landscape in that path was rather mountainous. Elena realized that this would make it very hard for Sain and Kent, with their horses, to cross it, if they even could. Lyn would have a difficult time as well. Elena quickly looked around the field again, but could see no other way to the temple.

Disturbed by this, Elena looked for their foes. Three brigands stood guard in front of the temple, while a fourth was to the upper part of the temple's exposed wall. A fifth and final brigand stood inside the temple itself, while a mercenary was next to the altar itself. Elena instantly realized that this was the leader of the group, and the strongest member at that. Mercenaries, skilled sword users, were nothing to underestimate. Their speed and skill with blades usually made them very dangerous opponents.

But that was not Elena's main concern at the moment. The bigger problem was how they were going to get into the temple. Elena waited could not see any way of doing it, so she quickly contacted Sain, hoping he or Kent had heard something that would help them.

…

"So, you're looking for information on the area?" the man asked Sain, who stood outside his door, holding onto the reins of his horse.

"Anything you have so that we can assist the priest, along with protecting the temple and sword, would help greatly," Sain said.

"Well… you can't go very easily through the front door," the man said, eyeing Sain's horse. "It's a mountainous area, and I know horses can't handle terrain like that. I'm sorry, but I don't know another way in. You'll have to search around and hope for the best."

Sain sighed. "All right. Thanks anyway." Sain got back on his horse, and began to go back to where Lyn was.

_"Sain!__ Did you have any luck?"_

"Whoa!" Sain pulled back the reins in shock, causing the horse to buck. Still surprised by Elena's thought, Sain fell off his horse, hitting the ground on his back.

_"Are you all right?"_

"Ow… yeah… I am just not used to that," Sain commented, rising.

_"Sorry. So, did you find anything out?"_

"I discovered that we cannot go through the front door of the temple, due to it being a mountainous location," Sain told her.

_"Unfortunately, I already knew this and am trying to find a solution to it. Go back to Lyn and wait for __Kent__ to arrive."_

"I'm on it!" Sain said before getting back on his horse and racing towards Lyn.

…

The young girl pondered Kent's question. "I am afraid I will not be much help, sir, because I stay at home most of the time to help out my parents. They aren't available at the moment; I am sorry."

"That is fine. Thank you for your time," Kent said.

"Oh! I can tell you something interesting though," the girl said with a bright smile.

"Yes?"

"Do you know about the sword held at the altar?" she asked.

"I know some thing about it. It is called the Mani Katti, and it is a legendary blade," Kent stated.

"That much is true. The Mani Katti is actually blessed by the spirits," the girl told him. "According to the priest, the Mani Katti is actually waiting for its rightful owner to appear! It's pretty odd, don't you think? I think the idea that a sword can choose who to wield it is rather strange."

"Intriguing…" Kent mounted his horse. "Thank you once more."

"I'm glad I could help!" she said, waving as he left.

He soon caught sight of Sain, who was remounting his horse and going over to where Lyn was.

"Why did he fall off in the first place?" Kent wondered out loud.

_"I startled him by contacting him."_

_"That explains,"_ Kent said. _"I am afraid I found out only facts about the Mani Katti itself, which will not be of much use to us in a fight."_

_"I see. Thanks anyway. Go over to Lyn and Sain. I'll contact you all shortly." _Elena broke her connection and put her hands up to her forehead with a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" the woman asked her.

"I can't find any way to get into the temple," Elena explained. "The entrance is blocked off by mountainous terrain. Due to that, I do not see any way we will be able to reach it."

"Perhaps you could benefit from something I saw earlier?" the woman suggested.

"By all means, tell me," Elena said.

"The temple happens to have a weak point in the wall," the woman told her. "It is cracked and in poor repair, since the priest has not been able to repair it yet. It is possible that you might be able to create another entrance by knocking down that section of the wall."

Elena looked back at her Dimicatio Prospectus and took a closer look at the temple wall. Sure enough, she could now see a part in the wall that looked as though it would crumble apart if enough force was applied to it.

"Thank you! That's perfect!" Elena said. Then she had another thought. "But if we knock down the wall…"

"The priest won't mind," the woman assured. "The temple can be repaired, but we cannot replace the Mani Katti."

"That's true. All right, we'll use that as a method of getting in!" Elena stated, already beginning to connect with the group.

…

"That actually might work," Sain said as Elena explained what the plan was.

"It is regretful that we would have to damage the temple though…" Lyn said.

_"We are desperate. This is the only way we will be able to make it in time," _Elena replied. _"I wish there was another way, but there really isn't."_

"She is right. We have to act swiftly," Kent stated. "What do you say, milady?"

Lyn considered this, and then nodded. "Elena knows what is best. Give us our orders, and we will follow through with them!"

_"All right.__ Lyn, there is a lone bandit outside the wall to the temple, to your left. You should be able to handle him by yourself. Sain and Kent, you two should head towards the ruined wall. It is straight ahead. If any of the bandits come up your way, be sure to deal with them before attempting to knock down the section of the wall,"_ Elena instructed.

"Understood," Lyn replied. She ran towards the direction Elena had specified, while Sain and Kent galloped to the wall.

Soon, Lyn caught sight of the bandit Elena had spoken of. The bandit, however, saw her as well. Without hesitation, he began to run towards her.

Elena quickly scanned the area. _"Lyn, get to those old fortresses for cover! You may be able to handle him in a one on one fight, but I want no risks. If you can use the terrain to your advantage, do so!"_

_"Good idea," _Lyn replied, turning and retreating a short distance to the run down buildings. Then she stood behind a pillar that still remained as a rough outline for the building.

The bandit rushed in without thinking. She sprang out from behind the pillar, slashing him across the chest with her katana before ducking behind the pillar again. She was just in time; the bandit's axe slammed into the pillar. The bandit let go of his axe with a yelp as the shockwaves from the blow went through his axe. Lyn did not let the opportunity go to waste, and lunged at him once more. This time, her katana went through his chest. He fell at once.

_"Nice job. Head over to Sain and Kent now," _Elena instructed.

_"Right."_

Elena moved her gaze over to where Sain and Kent were. Both of them had reached the damaged wall. Sain was now slamming his lance into it several times, trying to get it to collapse, while Kent watched tensely.

"Come on! Fall already!" Sain exclaimed, hitting it with his lance again.

"Perhaps I should help?" Kent suggested.

"Nah, I'm fine. Keep an eye out for any bandits coming our way, I've got it covered here," Sain said, continuing to strike the wall.

"How is it coming?" Lyn asked, stepping up.

"It's weakening, that's for sure!" Sain replied, not pausing to turn to her. "It should be down soon, hopefully."

Elena looked into the temple; so far, it appeared as though neither the bandit inside nor Glass had any idea of what was going on. Glass was attempting to find a way to unsheathe the Mani Katti, but was so far failing. The bandit just seemed to be bored, and had his axe arm slack.

Relieved that they were not doing anything drastic to the temple yet, Elena looked towards the entrance. Then she froze. One of the bandits was remaining by the door, but the other two had heard the commotion of Sain attempting to knock down the wall. Being used to the mountainous terrain, they were having no problem crossing the area separating them from Elena's companions.

_"Watch out!" _Elena warned them. _"Two bandits are coming! Lyn, take one, and Kent, you handle the other. Sain, keep trying to break through that wall!"_

"All right," Lyn said, holding her katana in a ready position. Kent drew his sword, waiting.

The bandits arrived shortly, and charged towards them. One of them, seeing Lyn, went after her at once, thinking her to be much weaker than Kent. The other bandit, cursing his bad luck at missing the chance to assault the more frail of the two, tried to hit Kent with his axe.

Kent was used to these clumsy hits though, and merely pulled back his horse's rein. It reared instantly, dodging the strike just in time. As it came down, Kent fluidly brought his sword down into three cuts. One hit each shoulder, and the third his chest. The deep wounds caused him to stagger and collapse.

The other bandit was in for quite a shock. The woman he had thought to be so feeble easily dodged his axe slice before hitting him multiple times. Before he could realize what happened, he was dead.

"Beautiful as always!" Sain said to Lyn. "Pure brilliance!"

Kent shook his head at his companion's behavior. "Sain, we have no time to waste! Are you nearly done?"

"No need to chastise me," Sain told him. "It should break down right about… now!" Then he thrust his lance forward.

It pierced right through the wall, causing the rubble to fall all over the place. The opening was just wide enough for them to fit through when going one at a time, so Kent's horse leapt through, while Lyn followed. Sain came after putting aside his lance and drawing his sword.

The bandit, who had been off guard, was warned by the loud noise of the wall falling apart. Even so, he barely had enough time to lift his axe to defend himself from Kent's attack. Seeing Kent had his opponent occupied, Sain charged towards the door, where the last bandit outside had run in to see what was going on.

Assured that her companions had the situation covered, Lyn ran up the stairs to where Glass was. Seeing her coming, Glass turned away from the altar, drawing his own sword.

"Who do you think you are?" he spat at her. "What chance do you think you have against me?"

"A very good one," Lyn replied, holding up her own weapon. "I can't let you get away with what you are attempting to do!"

"Do you want that useless hunk of metal too?" Glass said in disgust. "Why bother? What good is a sword that cannot be used?"

"I don't even see why I should bother spending the time to try and make you understand!" Lyn said, before lunging.

He parried her blow effortlessly, and then he began to fight back. Lyn soon found herself parrying, blocking, and dodging his sword strikes. She managed to get a few slices on him, but he did as well. Soon they were both cut up in several locations, but neither was about to give up.

Meanwhile, Kent had finished off his opponent. Sain had had some difficulties, such as getting his left arm cut by the bandit. However, he was still a much better fighter than his foe. The bandit was lying, dead, shortly after. After that, Sain quickly galloped back to Kent's side, looking at where Lyn and Glass were fighting.

Lyn moved to block another attack, but miscalculated the amount of force Glass had put into it. He struck her katana fiercely by the hilt, sending it flying out of her hands and to the side. There was no chance of her retrieving it from that position.

Glass, sensing triumph at hand, brought up his sword once more. Lyn knew she would not last long without a weapon. Without thinking, she grabbed what was closest by her; the Mani Katti. Grasping it by the hilt, she pulled it out and held it up to block Glass's strike.

Something was wrong with this. Lyn knew that in the back of her head. But her mind was completely on the fight. Glass, on the other hand, was completely stunned by what Lyn had just done. Seeing him freeze, Lyn leapt, slashing into him as she went down the steps, landing at the foot of the stairs that lead to the altar.

Glass turned, looking at her in disbelief as blood came out of his side. "You… you… how…?" Then he fell, dead.

Lyn stood up, looking at the weapon in her hand with shock. It was a pure white blade, that had a thin line of blood where she had used it to cut Glass. But what was truly remarkable was how it was glowing. The blade was surrounded with a brilliant white light, which filled the room with radiance.

Elena stared at the scene, amazed by what was occurring. The woman, who had been watching over her shoulder, was also speechless.

Sain and Kent couldn't find any words to say either. So it turned out that the first thing to break the silence was the door at the side of the temple opening.

The priest stepped out, and was frozen as he saw what Lyn was holding. She looked up to him, and then back at the sword, confusion written all over her face.

After a second to get his voice back, the priest spoke. "I… I had never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."

The Mani Katti suddenly stopped glowing, and the blade was now its normal, pale white color.

"What do you mean?" Lyn asked, still staring at it.

"It is the power of the spirits," the priest explained. "They have looked into your souls, and they have called out to you. Therefore, you are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti."

Lyn paled at these words. "No… I can't… I couldn't…"

"It is the sword's wish," the priest said simply. "You were able to draw it. That is proof enough that you are meant to keep the Mani Katti."

"But still… to have it be… my sword… that can't be," Lyn said in amazement.

The priest looked over her. "Your clothing… are you of the Lorca tribe?"

"Yes. I am Lyn, the chieftain's daughter," she replied.

"I see." The priest gazed at the Mani Katti one more time before looking back at her. "Lyn, it is time for you to go. You will face many great ordeals. Grasp the Mani Katti and meet your destiny head-on."

Although still astonished, Lyn forced herself to nod. "Yes… yes sir!"

Kent, still practical as ever, even after witnessing this event, looked over at the dead bandits. "We are sorry for the trouble. Let us remove these corpses from the temple."

"Ah, thank you. I would greatly appreciate that," the priest said.

"Speaking of that, are you hurt, sir?" Lyn asked as she grabbed Glass's body.

"No. Thanks to all of you, I am unscathed," the priest replied with a smile.

"What about the wall?" Kent asked.

"It will be repaired. Do not worry over it. Now, you must head off. I wish you all well," the priest told them.

"Thank you for everything!" Lyn said as they all hauled the three corpses out of the temple.

Elena decided now would be the best time to contact them. _"I will be over there shortly."_

_"All right.__ We will see you then," _Lyn responded.

Elena let the energy from the Dimicatio Prospectus seep back into her before she stored it in her bag again. "Thank you for letting me stay here temporarily."

"It was no problem," the woman answered. "I should be the one thanking all of you, for saving the priest. A wielder for the Mani Katti… how extraordinary! I hope your journey goes well."

"Thanks," Elena replied as she left.

…

By the time Elena reached her friends, the corpses were dealt with. Sain was drinking a vulnerary, while Lyn seemed repulsed by it.

"What is wrong?" Elena asked as she came up.

"When we were taking away Glass's corpse, we discovered he had three vulneraries," Lyn explained. "Sain was… generous… enough to suggest that I should not waste a vulnerary on him when he could use ones that Glass was carrying. I detest from the idea of using something Glass carried, but I suppose it is not like he would have a use for them at this point."

"How are all of you, anyway?" Elena inquired.

"I healed myself," Lyn replied.

"A minor wound, nothing serious!" Sain said with a grin. "So, what do you think? Don't you think my simply superb sword strikes would stun anyone?" Elena noticed he had directed this to Lyn.

Sain then yelped with pain as Kent smacked him over the head. "Enough, Sain. We have more important matters to think about."

"Like the Mani Katti?" Sain asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"I would like to see it," Elena said.

Lyn nodded, and drew the katana to show them. The blade sparkled as the sunlight reflected off its white surface.

"This is all so unbelievable…" Lyn said. "I cannot believe that I have perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae in my hand."

Recalling what the young girl had said to him earlier, Kent said, "It is not so strange. In fact, many legends tell of similar tales. Special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. When I saw you draw that blade, milady… it was extraordinary. I could feel it… that sword was waiting for you. You were meant to draw it."

"Stop it!" Lyn protested, blushing slightly. "I… I'm nothing special!"

Sain thought for a moment, and then suggested, "Think of it this way. Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does that make it any easier for you to accept?"

Lyn considered that. "It… does feel right in my hand…"

"I doubt Sain or Kent can use it," Elena added. "I think you should keep it."

Lyn nodded. "A blade that only I can wield… that seems reasonable enough, I suppose. I can understand that. Thank you, all of you."

Elena looked over at Sain. "I'm surprised you were able to make a serious comment."

"Do not get used to them," Kent stated.

"Alas, he has a point," Sain sighed.

Lyn untied her katana sheath from her side, and instead put on the Mani Katti. She looked at the sheathed blade, and nodded. "So this is… my sword. I must care for it well…" Then she lifted her head. "Shall we continue?"

"By all means!" Sain replied.

"Let us move on," Kent agreed. With that, they all set off.

…

Meanwhile, in a distant location, there was another person interested in Lyn's progress. But it was not for her good will. Indeed, Ludgren wanted exactly the opposite for her, as Sain and Kent had been well aware of.

"What? Madelyn's daughter is still alive?" Ludgren said in disbelief as he listened to his soldier's report.

Ludgren was quite an imposing figure. Although he looked to be about sixty, he still stood strong. His royal purple armor with gold trimming, along with his pale white cape, added to his powerful image. His hair, already grey, went down a bit past his shoulder blades. His narrow, black eyes were what made people the most intimidated though. There was no happiness in those eyes, except when it came to completing his evil plans. Then his eyes gleamed with a kind of fierce joy for his murderous intentions. Right now though, they were widened in surprise, and then glimmering with anger.

The soldier, who wore the standard red armor and face-concealing helmet that all soldiers of his rank wore, hesitated for a brief moment. He was well aware that Ludgren was not a person he would want to make angry. But he knew withholding the truth would be even worse. "Uh… yes, Lord Ludgren. The girl is traveling with Kent and Sain. What are your orders, m'lord? If we let them be…"

Ludgren snorted. "Bah! Northern Bern is full of bandits! She's just a young girl; she will never be able to survive her journey here. No, she is not a problem. Instead, I am more concerned with my older brother. His life must be ended quickly. The poison…" He trailed off, glancing around, as though to make sure nobody was listening in. Reassured that his henchman was the only one present, he continued. "There must be no blunders with it."

The soldier nodded. "Yes, m'lord. He suspects nothing, and continues to drink it. The marquess's death, due no doubt to 'sudden illness', is not far off."

Ludgren gave a horrible smirk, and laughed coldly. "With them both out of the way, soon… soon Caelin will be mine!"

To be continued…


End file.
